Band:	Britny Fox
Album:	Boys In Heat
Style:	Glam metal, Hard rock
Release date:	October 11, 1989
A review by:	omne metallum

01. In Motion
02. Standing In The Shadows
03. Hair Of The Dog [Nazareth cover]
04. Livin' On A Dream
05. She's So Lonely
06. Dream On
07. Long Way From Home
08. Plenty Of Love
09. Stevie
10. Shine On
11. Angel In My Heart
12. Left Me Stray
13. Longroad

What does the Fox say?

Britny Fox is a name I've seen crop up when glam metal is mentioned, but not one I had ever gotten around to giving a spin until now. Deciding to give the band a go, I chose Boys In Heat due to the... interesting choice of cover art. While it does have its shortcomings, Boys In Heat is an enjoyable, if not particularly outstanding, album that fans of the genre might want to give a listen to at some point.

Perhaps the most immediate thought that will arise when listening to Boys In Heat is "man, these guys love their AC/DC"; while the band could have picked a far worse band to base their sound on, they plant their flag too close to their main influence and in a crowded playing field. Much of the album follows said band's template, though with some slight variations and tweaks to glam up the music.

The second thought you will likely have is concerning the vocals; speaking of AC/DC worship, lead singer Dean Davidson sounds like the phlegmy love child of Brian Johnson and Tom Kiefer, an acquired taste if there ever were one. Initially I found his style off-putting, contrasting too sharply with the accompanying music; however, by "Shine On", it clicked with me, the exception being "Standing In The Shadows", which sounds like Davidson just drained a pack of Marlboros before taking to the microphone. This vocal style is dropped for certain tracks such as the ballad "Dream On", where Davidson sings normally and doesn't sound too bad. Oddly enough, however, he made the decision to drop it for the Nazarth cover, "Hair Of The Dog", one track where the style would have actually been appropriate.

The rest of the album is an enjoyable run through some guitar-led rock. "She's So Lonely", "Stevie", and "Plenty Of Love" are the most enjoyable of the bunch, tracks that will get your feet tapping and head bopping along. "Angel In My Heart" isn't a ballad as you may have initially assumed, but a decent mid-tempo rocker that will grab your attention.

The band are competent on their instruments, not putting a foot wrong, but also doing little to catch your attention. Smith throws around some decent riffs and solos across the album, with "Long Road" and "She's So Lonely" being probably the best of the bunch.

The production work of Kernon is a mixed blessing, with the album sounding fine but lacking in some areas. The most prominent missing element is the punch and pop from the gang vocal choruses, which should add that extra bit of power to emphasize the chorus and take it to the next level. "Shine On" is just left hung out to dry because of it, sounding limp instead of powerful. While Kernon does at least place the guitar solos prominently in the mix so there is a slight pop in the music, it does detract from the listening experience. While Kernon could only work with what he had, his production approach manages to find the compromise no one wanted, with Britny Fox sounding like an inorganic AC/DC rather than moving away from the band's roots; Boys In Heat would be better served just stripping back and revelling in that sound.

The biggest issue facing Boys In Heat, however, is that the album's best moments never exceed being "good". They're fun to listen to, but they are not very memorable, nor do they offer up much in the way of replay value. For better and worse, Britny Fox are average: not being so bad you remember them, but not good enough to warrant remembering either, leaving them in the grey area to blend into the boring background.

For those wanting to delve deeper into the glam genre and listen to a few more bands than the usual suspects, Britny Fox are worth a spin, even if only for exploratory reasons.